Prehistoric
Japan is divided into
four major cultures:
Palaeolithic, Jomon, Yayoi
and Kofun. Each of these major
cultures, or Periods, is further
subdivided into several sub-periods. The cultural phases are almost limitless. The dates for these periods are given in uncalibrated radiocarbon years beginning of the Palaeolithic
which is based on other dating
methods and dates from
50,000 years ago to the start
of the Jomon Period.
50,000 years ago to the start of the
Jomon Period.
Jomon Period
13,000 - 300 BC
The earliest inhabitants of
the Japanese islands were
hunter-gatherers, with the long
coasts providing good supplies of
fish. Pottery was made, after which the period is named. These hunter-
gatherers seem to have arrived
before the end of the last ice age
via land bridges that joined Japan
to Asias mainland. They successfully
successfully fended off invaders
until about 300-200 BC.
Yayoi Period
300 BC - AD 300
Rice culture was imported into Japan around 200-100 BC by farmers who migrated from the Korean peninsula, although some experts believe the influx may have With the introduction of agriculture, social classes started to evolve, and parts of the country began to unite under powerful land
owners.
Legendary Period
First Century AD (660 BC) - AD 539
According to legend, Emperor
Jimmu Tenno arrived with his
people on the islands of Japan in 660BC. However, the number of his successors between that arrival and the first truly historical emperors puts that arrival at some time in the first century, coinciding with the Yayoi Period, and all dates prior to
AD 500 should be approached with
caution. The dates for the first 28
emperors are based on the
Japanese calendar system.